NameCensus.

UK surname

Whitelam

In the 1881 census there were 107 people recorded with the Whitelam surname, ranking it #18,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 374, ranked #12,490, up from #18,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lincoln St Botolph, Hull Holy Trinity and Clee. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, West Lindsey and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whitelam is 414 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 249.5%.

1881 census count

107

Ranked #18,982

Modern count

374

2016, ranked #12,490

Peak year

2002

414 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whitelam had 107 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 374 in 2016, ranked #12,490.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 232 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Whitelam surname distribution map

The map shows where the Whitelam surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Whitelam surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Whitelam over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 71 #20,875
1861 historical 112 #19,279
1881 historical 107 #18,982
1891 historical 146 #18,664
1901 historical 204 #14,925
1911 historical 232 #13,592
1997 modern 390 #11,215
1998 modern 393 #11,495
1999 modern 399 #11,463
2000 modern 409 #11,221
2001 modern 408 #11,056
2002 modern 414 #11,151
2003 modern 399 #11,284
2004 modern 410 #11,077
2005 modern 389 #11,423
2006 modern 392 #11,418
2007 modern 391 #11,570
2008 modern 392 #11,661
2009 modern 402 #11,682
2010 modern 410 #11,754
2011 modern 387 #12,142
2012 modern 392 #11,898
2013 modern 390 #12,151
2014 modern 397 #12,076
2015 modern 390 #12,139
2016 modern 374 #12,490

Geography

Back to top

Where Whitelams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lincoln St Botolph, Hull Holy Trinity, Clee, Nottingham St Mary and Sutton, Long or St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, West Lindsey, Wakefield and Kingston upon Hull. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lincoln St Botolph Lincolnshire
2 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Clee Lincolnshire
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 Sutton, Long or St Mary Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 008 South Holland
2 West Lindsey 002 West Lindsey
3 Wakefield 040 Wakefield
4 West Lindsey 003 West Lindsey
5 Kingston upon Hull 006 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Whitelam

These lists show first names that appear often with the Whitelam surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Whitelam

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Whitelam, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Whitelam surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Whitelam household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Whitelam is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Whitelam is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Whitelam falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Whitelam is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Whitelam, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Whitelam families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whitelam surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lincolnshire leads with 68 Whitelams recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.76x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 68 40.76x
Yorkshire 28 2.71x
Cambridgeshire 4 6.05x
Nottinghamshire 4 2.84x
Northamptonshire 3 3.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Grimsby in Lincolnshire leads with 16 Whitelams recorded in 1881 and an index of 151.09x.

Place Total Index
Great Grimsby 16 151.09x
Sutton St Mary 16 1012.66x
Sculcoates 8 48.81x
Hessle In Sculcoates 7 769.23x
Morton In Bourn 7 2058.82x
Cottingham 6 269.06x
St Nicholas Lincoln 6 377.36x
Louth 5 130.89x
Wootton 5 2380.95x
Holy Trinity 4 16.08x
Tealby 4 1739.13x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 3 31.15x
Grasby 3 2000.00x
Newton 3 1153.85x
Peterborough 3 42.19x
Ashby Puerorum 2 4000.00x
Nottingham St Mary 2 5.50x
Nottingham St Nicholas 2 104.17x
Lutton 1 357.14x
Moulton 1 125.00x
Saxelby With Ingleby 1 232.56x
South Owersby 1 3333.33x
Wisbech St Peter 1 30.21x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Whitelam surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Elizabeth 5
Mary 5
Ann 3
Annie 3
Hannah 3
Martha 3
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Florance 2
Kate 2
Maria 2
Sarah 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Edith 1
Ethel 1
Frances 1
Lizzie 1
Marian 1
Maud 1
Rebecca 1
Sobina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Whitelam surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 10
John 10
Joseph 6
William 6
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Christopher 1
Edmund 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Jno.Geo. 1
Matthew 1
Richard 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1
Wm.Chas. 1

FAQ

Whitelam surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whitelam surname in 1881?

In 1881, 107 people were recorded with the Whitelam surname. That placed it at #18,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whitelam surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 374 in 2016. That gives Whitelam a modern rank of #12,490.

What does the Whitelam map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Whitelam bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.